Adjustable chair slide mechanism



United States Patent Inventor Alfred G. Reapsummer 1411 Southwest 15th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316 App]. No. 754,410 Filed Aug. 21, 1968 Patented Nov. 24, 1970 ADJUSTABLE CHAIR SLIDE MECHANISM 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 248/413, 248/416, 248/424, 297/344 Int. Cl ..F16m 11/28 Field of Search 248/424, 425,429,4l3,419,430,416,178,183;297/344, 346, 373

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1923 Gahm 297/344 1,961,653 6/1934 Van Deest 248/429 2,025,436 12/1935 Brosset 297/344 2,628,657 2/1953 Orrick 248/429 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,331,930 6/1963 France 248/424 517,604 l/193l Germany 248/416 Primary Examiner-Marion Parsons, Jr.

ArtorneysCarlton F. Bryant, Eldon H. Luther, Robert L. Olson, John F. Carney, Richard E. Berneike, Edward L. Kochey, Jr. and Lawrence P. Kessler ABSTRACT: Slide mechanism for an adjustable chair including plate means attaching the seat and slideably mounted in relation to a platform secured to a pedestal. A body of low friction material is disposed between the opposed surfaces of the plate means and the platform to enhance the relative sliding between the members and a rotational rod is operatively attached to the plate means for locking the members together in selectively adjusted positions.

Plieiit ea Nk i; 17O 3,542,326

Sheet 1 pt 4 INVENTOR. ALFRED G. REAPSUMMER ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 19 10 I 3,542,325

Sheet of 4 FIG- 8 INVENTOR. ALFRED 5. REAPSUMMER 4M; cm;-

ATTORNEY ADJUSTABLE CHAIR SLIDE MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many applications of pedestal mounted chair arrangements, it is desirable to adjustably mount the seat relative to the pedestal in order that various positions for the chair can be obtained. One such application is a pilot seat for pleasure craft and the like. In the past, several attempts have been made to provide adjustable chairs for pleasure craft having the characteristics of compactness of form, facility in manipulation, and low cost. These attempts have all met with only limited success due to the fact that, in these prior art designs, in order to facilitate seat adjustment complex, cumbersome and expensive mechanisms have been required. It is therefore to the improvement of these apparatus that the present invention is directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided an adjustable chair arrangement that has the characteristics of simplicity and compactness of form, ease of operation and low cost. The arrangement comprises a seat mounted to a slide mechanism which is, in turn, mounted upon a pedestal adapted for fixation to a deck or to be base. The slide mechanism comprises a horizontal platform mounted to a pedestal post for adjustable rotational movement about the axis of the post. Plate means secured to the underside of the seat mount the seat to the platform so as to render the two elements relatively slideable. A body of nylon material or the equivalent is interposed between the bearing surfaces of the platform and the plate means so as to facilitate sliding movement between the members. Releaseable locking means are employed to secure the seat in any position relative to the platform. This locking means comprises a rotatable rod operatively secured to guide legs that depend from the plate means and enclose the side edges of the platform in such a way that the legs can be urged into tight engagement with the edges of the platform upon rotation of the rod in one direction and released from engagement upon rotation of the rod in the other direction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an exploded perspective of a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled side elevation of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of another modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view ofthe assembly of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings, there is shown an adjustable chair apparatus 10 constructed according to the present invention. The apparatus comprises a seat 12 that is adjustably mounted upon a fixed pedestal including a base I4 and upstanding cylindrical post 16 that extends through a central opening 18 provided in the base for securely maintaining the post in an upright position. A horizontally disposed platform 20 is rotatably mounted to the upper end of the post 16 by means of a cylindrical sleeve 22 which is welded, or otherwise secured, at its upper end to the central region ofthe undersurface of the platform and which telescopically receives the upper end of the post. A slight clearance fit is provided between the sleeve 22 and post 16 such that the latform can rotate freely about the axis of the post. In order tions about the post axis, the sleeve 22 is provided with a radial boss 24 containing a threaded through-opening 26 adapted to retain an elongated set screw 28 or the like having a turning nob 30 at one end which, when rotated, will bring the leading end of the screw to bear on the surface of the post thus to secure the platform to the post in any position about the circumference of the latter.

As shown, the platform 20 is a rectangular member having opposed straight side edges 32 and which at its opposite ends is provided with upstanding, elongated flanges 34 that extend substantially the full width of the upper surface of the platform. The flanges 34 are provided on their upper ends 36 with a generally circular recess or groove 38 that extends the length of the flange. These grooves 38 each retain a body of low fric tion material so disposed with respect to the ends 36 of the flanges 34 as to extend upwardly therebeyond thus to provide a bearing rib 40 adapted to engage a slide mechanism as hereinafter described. In the preferred arrangement the body of low friction material is formed as a nylon cylinder adapted to extend the length of and rest in the grooves 38. It should be understood, however, that the bearing surface here described can be formed of other materials having other shapes within the scope of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the seat 12 is slideably mounted to the platform 20 by means of a slide mechanism including a pair of oppositely spaced, elongated plates 42 and 44 here shown as being generally C-shaped in section with an upper portion 46 for engaging the underside of the seat and for providing a surface to bear upon the bearing ribs 40 of the platform 20. Each plate 42 and 44 includes a depending leg portion 48 that is adapted to embrace the opposed side edges 32 of the platform for guidingly directing the relative 'movement between the slide mechanism and the platform and a lower, or foot, portion 50 adapted to engage the undersurface of the platform thus to prevent relative vertical movement between the elements. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion 46 of the plate 42 contains a pair of mutually spaced circular openings 52 adapted to snugly retain fasteners 54 for securing the plate to the seat while in the plate 44 a pair of spaced, slotted openings 56 is provided for retaining the fasteners thus to permit slight lateral movement in one plate with respect to the other.

As is easily discernable from the drawings, when the plates 42 and 44 are attached to the seat and placed in assembled relation with the platform 20 with the undersurface of the upper portion 46 of the plates bearing on the bearing ribs 40 and the leg portions slightly spaced from the platform side edges 32, the seat can be easily slid back and forth with respect to the platform. In order that the seat I2 can be selectively locked in any position along the length of the platform 20, a locking apparatus is provided. This apparatus comprises a rotatable rod 58 having a turning nob 60 at one end and whose other end is threaded as at 62. The rod 58 is caused to extend through alined openings 64 and 66 provided in the leg portion 48 of each plate 42 and 44- with the openings 66 in plate 44 containing an internal thread for engaging the threads 62 on the end of the rod. At a point spaced from the threads 62 the rod 58 is provided with a pair of slightly spaced shoulder members 68 and 70 that are adapted to be spacedly disposed on each side of the leg portion 48 of plate 42. By means of this arrangement a releaseable lock can be effected between the plates and the platform simply by rotating the rod 58 whereupon the plate 44 is drawn into engagement with the adjacent platform edge 32 and the other plate 42 is urged into similar engagement with its adjacent edge by means of the shoulder 68. The lock is released by rotation of the rod 58 in the opposite direction whereupon the threaded connection effects movement of the plate 44 away from the platform side 32 and the plate 42 is similarly urged away from the opposed side by means of the shoulder 70.

It should be appreciated that by means of the disclosed adjustable chair arrangement there is provided a simple, inexpensive slide mechanism that permits adjustable positioning of the seat 12 anywhere along the length of the platform 20, the relative movement of the two being limited only at the ends of the platform by the abutting coaction between the rod 58 and flanges 34 that thus provide limit stops. Angular adjustment between the platform 20 and the pedestal post 16 can be similarly easily effected by means of the adjustment provided by the seat screw 28.

In FIGS. and 7 there are disclosed slide mechanism embodiments that are similar in operation to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4 but wherein some of the elements have a different structural configuration. in these FIGS. reference to like elements will be indicated by like numerals. The embodiment of FIG. 5 includes a platform, indicated as 20. formed of a channel having downturned flanges 38' and wherein the separate plates 42 and 44 of the FIG. 1 embodiment are replaced by a single plate, indicated as 72, that is adapted to mount a seat (not shown) on its upper surface. Opposite sides of the plate 72 are formed with leg and lower portions 48 and 50, respectively, that correspond to those on the plates 42 and 44, the leg portions 48 being adapted to engage the side edges 32' of the plate and the lower portions 50 being formed to engage the lower end edges of the flanges 38. Relative sliding between the plate 72 and platform 20 cam be enhanced by a nylon pad 74 attached by suitable means to one of the opposed surfaces. In this embodiment the rod 58 contains a single shoulder 76 adjacent the leg portion 48 such that the locking is effected by rotating the rod to bring the shoulder into tight engagement with the surface of the leg portion by the coaction of the thread 62 with those in the aperture in leg portion 50.

ln the embodiment of FIG. 7 the platform, indicated as 20", is a simple flat, rectangular plate welded or otherwise attached to sleeve 22 and also containing a cylindrical stop pad 78 secured to its undersurface within'the sleeve for limiting the depth of penetration of the post 16 within the sleeve. The plate 72 is similar to the plate employed in the embodiment of FIG. 5, being a single member, to the upper surface of which the seat 12 is attached and from the sides of which the leg and lower portions 48 and 50 depend to slidingly embrace the side edges 32 of the platform. As shown, generally C-shaped nylon pads 80 can be inserted between the leg and lower portions 48 and 50 of the plate 72 in enclosing relation about the side 32 of the platform 20 for the purpose of enhancing the ability of the plate to slide with respect to the platform. ln this embodiment the locking apparatus comprises a rotatable rod 82 that passes through openings provided in between the sleeve 22 and stop pad 78. The end of the rod is threaded at 84 and adapted to engage a nut 86 secured to a locking arm 88, the latter being adapted to embrace the external side surface of the plate 72 in such a way as to draw the plate into tight engagement with respect to the platform 20" when the rod 82 is rotated to move the nut 86 along the threads 84.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. An adjustable seat comprising, in combination:

a. a seat frame;

b. a relatively fixed base portion including a horizontal platform having at least two opposed straight sides disposed subjacent said seat frame;

c. a slide assembly said seat frame to said platform for slide able movement in the direction of said platform sides, including separate, horizontally elongated C-shaped plates slideably interposed between said seat frame and the upper surface of said platform and attaching the underside of said seat frame on the opposite ends thereof, said C-shaped plates each comprising a depending leg portion for uidingly embracing the adjacentside of said platform an inclu ing an underlappmg portion engaging the undersurface of said platform to prevent relative vertical movement between said plates and said platform;

d. means for releaseably locking said slide assembly in selected positions to said platform including:

i. means for mounting at least one of said plates for lateral movement with respect to said seat frame, 7

ii. mutually alined apertures provided in the leg portions of the respective plates, one of said apertures being provided with internal threads,

iii. a rotatable rod extending through said apertures, said rod having .threads at one end engageable with the threads of said threaded aperture and being further provided with a pair of shoulders intermediate its ends and adapted each to engage opposite surfaces of the leg portion of said movable plate, one of said shoulders cooperating with the threaded connection to urge said leg portion into compressed relation with said platform upon rotation of said rod in one direction and the other of said shoulders cooperating with said threaded connection to urge the leg portions away from said platform upon rotation of said rod in the other direction.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim l-wherein said base portio comprises: i

a. a fixedly secured pedestal including:

i. a base,

ii. a cylindrical post upstanding therefrom,

b. a cylindrical sleeve secured at its upper end to the undersurface of said platform telescopically embracing and being relatively rotatable with the upper end of said post, and

c. means for releaseably locking said sleeve to said post.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said slide assembly includes a low friction material interposed between said plate means and the upper surface of said platform and forming the bearing surface therebetween.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said platform includes oppositely spaced upstanding flanges disposed at the ends of said platform, said flanges being adapted to cooperate with said rotatable rod to form limit stops for the relative movement between said plate means and said platform.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said plate means are disposed in sliding engagement with the upper end surfaces of said upstanding flanges and including low friction material bearing means disposed. interposed between said plate means and said end surfaces.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said end surfaces each contain an elongated recess extending longitudinally thereof and a body of nylon disposed in each of said recesses with the upper surfaces ofeach body extending above its associated end surface. 

